Substrate materials play an important role in microelectronics. Serving as the backbone of integrated circuit assemblies, substrates promote mechanical strength and electrical connectivity. Manufacturers choose from a range of substrate materials when building devices, including advanced laminates such as FR-4, FR-5, BT and ABF.

Driven by the advancement of applications such as power amplifiers, RF semiconductors, and high-speed solid-state drives (SSDs)—which increasingly require compound semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN)—custom substrates are increasingly being employed. Intelligent design and developments leveraging advanced substrate materials are essential to success.

Each substrate type has unique properties and benefits to accommodate microelectronics device requirements. This can make design and development quite time-consuming. Besides being costly, prolonged processes are disadvantageous when coping with time-to-market (TTM) pressures. To avoid this complication, companies need a team of substrate experts who can quickly deliver small-volume packaging and assembly solutions featuring custom substrates.

Unique Substrate Requirements Require Customized Approaches

In 2021, Mixed-Signal Devices (MSD) came to QP Technologies for help in developing  complex packages required for their newest clock technologies that comprised multiple components, a multilayer substrate, overmolding, underfill, and other features. MSD customers in the aerospace and defense industries have three key supplier requirements: they must be domestic, meet International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and be capable of quick lead times. QP Technologies met these requirements, producing six substrate designs and 30 builds, with excellent quality and cycle times, spanning only 18 months. As a result, MSD was able to release its flagship family of MS11xx oscillators with the highest performance in the industry, with exceptional TTM.

Saving Time and Money – From Substrate Design to Assembly

Another customer in the IP space, looking to avoid a complete redesign of their assembly, approached QP Technologies for our substrate design and manufacturing expertise. We were able to develop an entirely new substrate for a complex flip-chip assembly, thus preventing a costly redesign. Once again, the priority was delivering low volumes of high-quality assemblies within a short timeframe. The customer’s existing IP core test system was valued in excess of $500,000 and would have taken more than eight months to redesign. Rather than create a completely new assembly, QP Technologies saved the customer time and expense by facilitating the use of their legacy platform through an interposer-based solution. The entire project was designed, built, and assembled in under four weeks at just 10-15% of the cost of developing an entirely new assembly.

A Host of Substrate Services for a Range of Markets

QP Technologies’ substrate design, fabrication and development services fill technology gaps that standard, off-the-shelf solutions cannot. Customers increasingly leverage QP Technologies for quick-turn, small-volume custom substrate solutions for advanced applications with high-power and speed requirements; for IP verification; and for creation of test boards and samples.

QP Technologies offers comprehensive services for custom substrate development, from design to fabrication and assembly. Our combination of quality, variety, and speed meets the demands of various markets, including military, medical, and sensors. Our domestic fab and cost-reducing approach provides convenience and efficiency. Most importantly, our dedicated team is passionate about working closely with customers on their unique chip designs and finding the best solutions for the most complex requirements.

If you would like to explore our substrate capabilities, visit our website at https://www.qptechnologies.com/products/substrate-development/ and learn more about our experience with custom substrates by downloading our latest whitepaper: https://www.qptechnologies.com/custom-substrates-expertise/